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Asia

East Asia, comprising China, Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, and North and South Korea, is a region that has historically been of critical interest to the United States. In particular, China's growing economic, military, and diplomatic power in the region and North Korea's nuclear ambitions have long been a focus of U.S. foreign policy and of RAND research.

This perspective is intended to contribute to the growing debate over how to respond to recent military advances of potential adversaries by examining a potentially effective and feasible overall military approach to the challenge -- direct defense.

Long-range military drones are fundamentally misunderstood. Their champions wrongly contend they are revolutionizing warfare, while critics fear their spread would greatly increase the threat that China, terrorists, and others pose.

Although the drive by the People's Republic of China to modernize its military has been underway for more than two decades, significant weaknesses remain in two broad categories: institutional and combat capabilities.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is keenly aware of its many weaknesses and is vigorously striving to correct them. Although it is only natural to focus on the PLA's growing capabilities, understanding its weaknesses — and its self-assessments — is no less important.

The United States needs to consider both the risk of further attacks like the Sony breach and also further ill-considered reactions that may arise if the problem of insecurity in cyberspace is shoved into the counterterrorism paradigm.

The signal achievement of the Obama foreign policy — fully on display in the new National Security Strategy — has been to avoid further missteps and lay the groundwork for progress by husbanding U.S. power, restoring the economic foundations of influence, and repairing the U.S. global image.

Is North Korea really sincere about wanting to negotiate improved relations with South Korea and the United States? Or is it seeking to undermine the strength and sovereignty of its neighbor, just as Germany did before World War II?

To help address China's smoking problem, China's parliament is considering a ban on all tobacco ads except those at point-of-sale retail locations. How does this compare to the current state of play regarding Chinese tobacco ads? And could the new law shift the tobacco-control landscape?

This book brings together essays with material that explores China's economic and military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the core principles and motivations that guide China's growing influence in Latin America and Africa.

With the inauguration of President Maithripala Sirisena in Sri Lanka, both the United States and India have an opportunity to influence reconciliation between the country's Tamils and Sinhalese. But if that influence is used unwisely, the result may be the same sort of aggressive Sinhalese nationalism that propelled Mahinda Rajapaksa to power a decade ago.

In a series of conferences, U.S. and Japanese experts explored the challenges for the U.S.-Japan alliance associated with China's military modernization drive and increasing foreign policy assertiveness.

China's economic transformation over the last three decades has produced potentially deadly air pollution its people inhale every day. But an investment of $215 billion annually could substantially reduce pollution, lessen its drag on productivity, spare the lungs of countless people, and save lives.

While the rapid aging of China's population is thought to condemn the nation to a dismal future, past policies on education and new policies to improve health and foster internal migration could ease the challenges posed by an older citizenry.

Air pollution has been one of the most harmful consequences of China's last three decades of economic transformation and growth. China must address its air-pollution problem soon, but approaches to improve air quality come at a cost.

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Associate Political Scientist

Bryan Frederick is an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research interests include territorial disputes, South and East Asian security, conflict management and escalation, and civil-military relations.

Adjunct

Thomas L. McNaugher was director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy from 2009 through June 2011. From 2001 to 2007, he served as RAND's vice president for Army research and director of the RAND Arroyo Center, the U.S. Army's federally funded research and development center for studies…

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